


ataash varin kata

by foundCarcosa



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Qunari, Slavery, Tevinter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-29
Updated: 2014-10-29
Packaged: 2018-02-23 03:40:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2532761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foundCarcosa/pseuds/foundCarcosa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An alternate canon where Shale visits Tevinter with Wynne and finds a reason to hate something other than pigeons.</p>
            </blockquote>





	ataash varin kata

**Author's Note:**

> [ Important headcanon note: I write all qunari as agender and monomorphic, and I write Shale as agender and using the pronoun set "it/its". ]

**i.**

"I don’t understand. You’re a semi-squishy sort. What are you doing standing there like a golem?"

When the qunari does not respond, Shale raises a fist and raps lightly on eir chest. “Hmm. Even the Sten was squishier than you. What have they done to you?”

"Hey!" Wynne hisses, beckoning sharply to the golem. "Don’t do that. Magisters do not take kindly to guests touching their… property." Wynne’s cheek twitches when she says this, but she says it nevertheless, and Shale hums, its crystals flashing irritably… but it steps away from the qunari.

"At least you’re indoors," it says lowly to the living statue before it departs. "No birds."

**ii.**

Wynne and the magister talk over cups of spiked and spiced tea. The magister casts interested looks in Shale’s direction.  
Eventually, Shale leaves them, having had enough. Sometimes Shale truly enjoyed being a golem, and that feeling was the closest to wholeness it ever got. One look from an entitled mage took that all away.

It intends on finding the large iron doors, but sees the qunari statue again, and its heavy footfalls pause, then stop.

"Pretty obvious you can’t talk. But you can hear me, I’m sure. And you can see, of course. You have the _distinct_ pleasure of seeing everything, just like I did.”

Shale lifts up its arm, inspects the chain looped around its wrist — it’d been too small for Shale’s neck — with its one charm.  
Shale steps up to the qunari and shows em the red and black pendant, humming in reminiscence as it recalls Sten taking it off eir neck and tossing it to Shale the last time they saw each other.

"Atas shokra," Shale says quietly, its voice a rumble in its chest, but the words clear as day to the person before it.

The qunari’s eyes could only register the barest of movements, eir face magically frozen just like the rest of em, but Shale saw them brighten with unshed tears.

"Hey, none of that." Shale drops its arm and grunts in annoyance when it hears the mages’ voices drawing near. "Just don’t forget. They’ll take everything you have to give. But there _are_ things you can keep for yourself. Keep them safe.

"And speaking of not forgetting… this won’t be the last time you see me. _Any_ control rod can be broken, I promise you that. Ataash varin kata, and all that.”

Wynne looks suspiciously at Shale when they rejoin each other, but Shale’s blessedly stony visage registers nothing at all.

**iii.**

{ _Shale approaches the statue; it is not certain ey are the same qunari that it spoke to so long ago, but it really didn’t matter. Eir magister dangled under one of its arms, unconscious._

“All _control rods can be broken,” Shale repeats somberly, gazing steadily into the qunari's eyes as it shifts the magister into both hands and brings him down sharply on its knee._ }


End file.
